Adjustable supporting device



K. B. FREED Feb. 9,1954

ADJUSTABLE SUPPORTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 9, 1954 6 K. B. FREED 2,668,683

ADJUSTABLE SUPPORTING DEVICE Original Filed 001". 21, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ZZZ F! F55 BY W 5 Patented Feb. 9, 1-954 UNITED STATES F Fl CE ADJUSTABLE SUPPORTING DEVICE Kan B.'Fred,1Stockholm, Sweden Original application Octobr'Zl-g 1 948, *SerialNo. 55,795. Divided and this' applicationiAprilJ17,

1951, Serial No. .221,473

' "'6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an adjustable supporting device, such as is used for suspending fixtures and tools of various types.

This application is a division of my copending application 55,795, filed October 21, 1948,--now abandoned.

.It is an object of the invention to provide improved means for raising, lowering, and rotating the supporting device by simple manipulations.

Another object of the invention is to provide .a supporting device having an arm which can be retained in any position without special fastening. means.

These and other objects are accomplishedby the invention which will be .understood from the following description and the accompanying drawings. in which 7 Fig.1 illustrates, partly in section, a complete supporting device provicled with a telescopic arm means, by two brackets l2. On tube II, a hollow cylindrical guide member 43. is slidingly arranged, to which the inner end of a main bearingiarm M is connected by means of a link 53a journaled to guide member [3 at El. At the lower end of guide .post l I, a mounting .15 is arranged for the attachmentof a supporting .arm iii, pivoted to mounting l5'at '22; with the other end, arm I6 is journaled at 23 to an adjustable interconnecting elementl'i mounted onthemain bearing arm M, on whi'ch it is held by friction in anyde'sired position. -The outer end of armi i is shown to support a telescoping tube It. The latter carries at its outer end fastening means IQ for an electric lighting fixture 29. Guide member 13 and mounting !5 can be rotatable on tube I i.

The above mentioned construction permits of raising, lowering and rotating the arm l4 and the fixtures suspended thereon by means of a simple manipulation; it will only be necessary to change the position of guide body 13 or of the interconnecting element It to a diiierent position for raising or lowering the arm and its load, which are always balanced so that they will be retained in any desired position without further means of fixation.

member l3 can be acounterweigha-but this is not the. only .embodimentnconsidered. .Ifdesired, member I3-can be a vvery light-weight element, providedthat the device. as-a wholeis balanced in such away that the adjustment can be made by the. simple manipulation. described.

. Figs 2 is. a diagrammatic view .of. theiorces workingonthebearing. arm It. The resultant of the weight of thebearingarm and the fixture is calledP, and may be transferred in itsown directionto the point ofintersection .of aline pa'ssing'through the'supportingarm It, and is divided into a component in the direction of the supporting arm [6, and one in the direction through the sliding. body l..3,.giving.a-s a result P1.

This. force,- in its turn. is divisible into a component perpendicular to the sliding tube II, and

a component in the direction. of the sliding tube H namely:. the. components P2 and X. lithe fastening point .23- of the supporting arm on the bearing arm is properly chosen, the component X can be small enough to avoid using any special friction-increasing devices in order to retain the bearing arm in, any'desired position.

Fig.3 presents avmodified embodiment of. the.

- invention for the. starting of the arm from a disof the arm possible, the magnet core 29 is provided with an electromagnet 30, preferably attached to the lower part of the magnet core.

When only the magnet 28 is used, the arm [4 can be brought back by means of a spring, or the like.

The described device is useful for all purposes, where it is desired to move an object to a certain position. It can also be used for suspending and moving tools, e. g. drilling tools, drawing devices, and the-like, and for many other purposes.

Fi 4 illustrates another embodiment of the adjustable supporting device, which is, in this case, to be used for the support of a dentists lamp.

Similar to Fig. 1, the device comprises a guide post 3|, mounted in brackets 32, 35, and supporting, slidingly arranged, a member 33 made integral with main bearing arm 34. Extending therefrom a rod 38 is provided, to which a flexible metal tube 36 is attached. This tube, in turn, carries an electric bulb or the like, 25. By means of the flexible tube, the lamp can be adjusted to any desired position.

In the modified embodiment according to Fig. 5, instead of a sliding tube II as illustrated in Fig. l, a slide track H is provided, which has va curved bottom portion. This track I I is cut into a cast body 46. A plug 13', corresponding to the slidingly arranged guide member I3, is provided between the shanks of the formed upper part of an arm 14'. The pointsdesignated by 2|, 22' and 23' correspond to 2|, 22, 23 in Fig. -1. The supporting device according to this embodiment is attached to a wall by means of a supporting bracket 40, forming at the same time one of the elements of a hinge joint assembled by means of a bolt 4|. The points 22' and 23' are connected through the supporting arm IS. The position of the point 22' can be varied by shifting from one hole to another one in a series of holes 42 in the lower part of the body 46. Although only one supporting arm I6 is illustrated in Fig. 5, it is preferable to use two arms 16' for supporting arm l4, one on each side of the body 46. 48 indicates a cable for e. g. an electric fixture, and 45 a reel for the winding and unwinding of same when the bearing arm I4 is moved up or down. The winding preferably takes place by means of a coil spring. The cast body 46 is surrounded on both sides by a cover 43, of which only the rear part is shown in Fig. 5. The'two covers are joined by means of screws, or the like, through holes 44.

While I have described and shown in the drawings a number of embodiments of the invention by way of example, it should be understood that these were given by way of illustration and not of limitation and that many modifications in the details can be madewithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. An adjustable supporting device comprising a main arm, a guide member attached to a fixed surface, a sleeve-shaped body slidably arranged on said guide member and rotatable thereon, a supporting arm for said main arm, an interconnecting element between said two arms, said supporting arm being with one end pivotally mounted at one end of said guide member, and journaled with its other end to said interconnecting element, said element being frictionally held on said main arm, an extension slidingly arranged passing in said main arm capable of supporting a load, said supporting arm and said sleeve-shaped body being capable of movement to a position whereby the weight of the main arm including its load is counterbalanced so that the main arm will be retained in any desired position without further means of fixation.

2. An adjustable supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the guide member for said sleeve-shaped body is a straight vertical post.

3. An adjustable supporting device according to claim 1, including an electromagnetic starting device for said main arm, which comprises an electromagnet attached to said sleeve-shaped body, a magnet core within said guide member, a second electromagnet disposed at the lower end of said magnet core and means for energizing said core.

4. An adjustable supporting device comprising a'main arm, a guide member attached to a fixed surface, a sleeve-shaped body slidably arranged on said guide member and rotatable thereon, a supporting arm for said main arm, an interconnecting element between said two arms, said supporting arm being with one end pivotally mounted at one end of said guide member, and journaled with its other end to said interconnecting element, said element being secured to said main arm, said arm being capable of supporting a load, said supporting arm and said sleeve-shaped body being capable of movement to a position whereby the weight of the main arm including its load is balanced so that the main arm will be retained in any desired position without further means of fixation.

5. An adjustable supporting device comprising a main arm, a guide member attached to a fixed surface, a body slidably arranged in said guide member and rotatable therein, a supporting arm for said main arm, said supporting arm being with one end pivotally mounted at one end of said guide member, and journaled with its other end to said main arm, said arm being capable of supporting a load, said supporting arm and said body in said guide member being capable of movement to a position whereby the weight of the main arm including its load is balanced so that the main arm will be retained in any desired position without further means of fixation.

6. An adjustable supporting device according to claim 5, wherein a curved track is provided as a guide means for said body.

KARL B. FREE'D.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 820,781 Hammond May 15, 1906 1,088,669 Allen Feb. 24, 1914 1,111,177 Pieper Sept. 22, 1914 

